Justin Verlander will pitch Saturday night for Sugar Land. Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images.
Houston right-hander Justin Verlander is set for a rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land, the next step in his return from neck stiffness that has sidelined the three-time Cy Young Award winner for two months.
Verlander will pitch in the Houston suburb on Saturday night, three days after his latest bullpen session for the Astros. The 41-year-old has said he will need two rehab starts before rejoining the Astros.
Verlander hasn't pitched since June 9. He missed the beginning of the season with right shoulder inflammation before going 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts. He made his season debut April 19.
A two-time World Series champion with the Astros, Verlander left for the New York Mets in free agency before the 2023 season. He was traded back to Houston in August last year.
Verlander is the active major league leader in wins (260) and is second to Max Scherzer, another three-time Cy Young winner, in strikeouts. Scherzer has 3,404 to 3,393 for Verlander.
Sugar Land is planning to give away Verlander bobbleheads to the first 2,000 fans Saturday night.
Green scores 22 of his 29 in 3rd quarter as Rockets down Wizards
Jan 7, 2025, 11:14 pm
Jalen Green scored 22 of his 29 points in the third quarter and the Houston Rockets routed the short-handed Washington Wizards 135-112 on Tuesday night.
Alperen Sengun added 26 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson scored 20 points and grabbed 15 boards, and Fred VanVleet had 19 points as the Rockets improved to 6-1 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.
Houston overcame a 20-point first quarter — the fewest points allowed by last-place Washington in a period this season.
Corey Kispert scored 23 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 18 in the Wizards' third straight defeat.
Washington leading scorer Jordan Poole missed his second straight game with a bruised left hip, and fellow starter Kyle Kuzma exited at halftime with a bruised right calf.
Takeaways
Rockets: Thompson continues to blossom in his second season, posting another impressive double-double after scoring a season-high 23 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds in Sunday's 119-115 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Wizards: A marginally improved 4-10 stretch will be hard to sustain if Poole and Kuzma miss more time. Kuzma has played in only half of Washington's 34 games this season.
Key moment
Houston put the game away with a 21-6 third-quarter run to extend its lead to 95-74. Green scored 11 points and sank three 3-pointers during that stretch,
Key stat
Washington's 18 turnovers led to 35 Houston points, the most a Wizards opponent has scored directly from giveaways this season.
Up Next
Washington visits Philadelphia Wednesday. The Rockets head to Memphis Thursday.
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